Spring



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UNITED I STATES PATENT OFFICE,

REYNOLD JANNEY, OF VESTBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS.

SPRING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 571,972, dated November 24, 1896.

Application flied June ze, 1894.

T0 all whom it may concern/.-

Beit known that I, REYNOLD JANNEY, a citizen of the Unit-ed States, and a resident of Westborough, in the county of iVorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Springs, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to compound compensating springs, and my main objects are to provide a construction in which the spring is better adapted to respond to varying loads and weights and in which there shall be no rattle or chatter of the spring, as well as to improve the construction of the connecting and bearing devices.

To these main ends and objects my invention consists, primarily, in combining with a coiled spring a supplemental internal coiled spring normally in a state of compression and so connected to the outer heavier spring as to weaken the same to a limited extent, and to also act in concert with said spring to increase the resistance upon the application of a heavier load, and, secondarily, in certain details of construction and combinations of devices, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, andparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a central vertical section of a compound compensating spring embodying my improvements, the parts being shown in their normal positions. Fig. 2 is a similar view, but showing both the outer and the inner spring expanded and to a point where they would both act together to resist and counterbalance the load; and Fig. 3- is a detail section to show the mode of assembling.

In the several views the same parts will be found designated by the same numerals of reference.

The compound spring illustrated is designed more especially for use in connection with carriages, the body portion of the carriage being suspended at each corner byone of said springs. The purpose of the springs is to render the vehicle easy-riding, to accomplish which the body of the vehicle must have a capacity to swing in all directions and also to spring up and down. In suspending the body of the carriage by means of coiled springs provision must be made for the proper action of said springs under the varying loads which 'the vehicle may from time to time be called upon to sustain, as, for example, the occupancyof either one person or two or three persons. An ordinary spring strong enough to elastically resist and counterbalance the weight of several persons would be too strong to similarly act with the weight of a single person, and hence the vehicle would lack the up-and-down spring movement required. On the other hand, an ordinary spring made weak enough to expand under the weight of one person would be too weak to perform its required function under the weight of several persons. Hence the necessity of a differential or compensating spring capable of acting automatically in accordance with the variations of the load. In the specification is set forth such a compensating spring, which consists generally of an outer spring and an inner spring connected together in such a manner as that the outer spring may act with the lighter load and the two springs act together With the heavier load.

In order to sustain the heavier load, the springs must be made of highly-te1npered wire and quite strong. This is particularly true of the outer spring, and owing to the great strength or resistance to extension of this spring when the vehicle is occupied bya single person of light weight there is an insufficient extension of said outer spring to afford to the body of the carriage the desired elastic up-and-down movement in going over rough roads, and therefore the vehicle is not as easy-riding in such a case as it is when the carriage contains two or more persons. Inasmuch as the difficulty recited cannot be cured by making the outer spring of wire of smaller diameter or inherently of less strength without so reducing the total resistance of both springs as to render them unsuitable for heavy loads some other way of overcoming the trouble or objection had to be devised.

IOO

inherent power of said spring is weakened or reduced to an extent suiicicient to enable it when further acted upon by the weight of one person to readilydistend and properly operate to elastically support the body of the vehicle and the occupant. At the same time the construction and arrangement of the two springs are such that at a certain point the in n er spring ceases to have any extensible action upon the outer spring, and beyond this point the said inner spring acts with the outer spring to resist extension, thereby increasing the power of the compound spring as a whole and adapting it to also elastically sustain the greater or heavier load.

1 designates the outer and heavier coiled spring, and 2 the inner concentrically-arranged coiled spring. The adjacent convolutions of each spring are preferably normally separated or out of contact to prevent noise and chatter in operation, and the diameter of the inner spring is enough smaller than the outer spring to avoid at all times any contact or rubbing action between the parts.

rlhe upper end of the outer spring isV engaged by a screw 3, formed on a head-piece 4, and the upper end of the inner spring is engaged by a screw 5, projecting downwardly from said head-piece. On a threaded shank G, extending upwardly from said head-piece, is screwed an interiorly-threaded ball 7, which fits within a socket 8, made in one piece and of steel case-hardened and polished and provided at its'lower side with an opening' 9 for the passage of said shank. The ball, preferably made of bronze, is maintained upon said shank by means of a nut l0, beneath which may be placed a washer 11. The upper end of the socket is open and extends above the top of the ball, where it is threaded interiorly to receive a screw-cap 12, between which and the ball in practice is arranged for lubricating purposes wool saturated with grease; but this is omitted from the drawings in order to avoid obscuring them. On the underside of the cup-shaped socket and surrounding the shank 6 and resting. upon the upper surface of the head 4 is fitted a spherical metallic washer 13, which is pressed against the outer surface ot' the socket by a rubber ring 14, which bears upon the head 4. The said washer 13 is adapted to slide over the outersurface of the socket during the swinging of the suspension-sprin gs and serve as an oil-cup and dust-excluding cover. Formed integral with the socket on one side is a ianged arm 15, which is adapted to be secured to a spring or other support 1G on the carriage, the saidarm being provided with bolt-holes.

The lower end of the outer spring 1 is engaged by a screw or threaded connector 17, formed on a head-piece 18, which is perforated centrally, and also provided with a circular seat 19.

The lower end of t-he inner spring 2 is engaged bya screw 20, formed at the inner end of a shank 2l, which passes through the perforation in the head 18, and which at its outer end is threaded, as at 22, to receive a ball 23 and a nut 24. The said shank 2l, back of the screw 20, is formed with a collar 25, adapted to fit into the seat 19 and to also bear against the end of the spring 2. The ball 23 ts within an inverted socket 26, constructed exactly like the socket 8, being made of one piece and provided with an opening 27 for the passage of the shank 21 and with an interiorly-threaded extremity 28 to receive the threaded dust-cap 29.

Between the head 18 and the socket 26 is arranged a spherical metallic washer 30, which surrounds the shank 21 and is held pressed against the socket bymeans of a rubber ring 31, similarly to the devices at the upper end of the contrivance. lVithin the socket 26 may be placed grease-saturated wool or other lubricant for the ball 23, which, like the ball 7, is made, preferably, of bronze, while its socket is preferably made of steel case-hardened and polished.

The cap 29 is cut away centrally to receive a soft-rubber button 32, which extends downward beyond said cap to avoid marring the paint or inish of the axle of the vehicle in the event of contact between the parts. The lower socket 26 is provided with an arm similar to 15 for attachment of the lower end of the spring contrivance to the body of the vehicle; but as this arm is in practice arranged horizontally at right angles to the arm 15 it is not seen in the drawings.

I shall now describe a mode of assembling the parts comprising this spring contrivance. The inner spring maybe connected to the screw 5 by a screwing action of the parts, and the outer spring may then be connected to the screw 3 by a similar action. The washer 13 and the rubber ring 14 may then be put in position on the outer surface of the head 4, and the shank 6 then passed up through the opening 9 into the socket. The ball 7 may then be screwed upon the shank and the nut 10 applied. Then after the insertion of the lubricatin g material the cap 12 may be screwed on. This completes the connection of the parts at the upper end of the contrivance. At this time the lower end of the inner spring may protrudeslightly beyond the lower end of the outer spring. The screw 2O may now be engaged with the lower end of the inner spring, the extent of engagement being limited by the stop-collar 25. The head 18 may now be slipped upon the shank 21 and slid along until the collar occupies the seat 19 therein, at which time the inner end of the screw 17 has arrived at about the extremity of the lower end of the outer spring. The head 18 may then be turned to effect an engagement between the screw 17 and the coils of the outer spring, and as said screw advances the shank 21 is carried therewith and the inner spring put into compression. In practice the inner spring is compressed from about one-half to three-fourths of an inch. After screwing home the head 18 and compressing the inner spring the socket 26, washer 30, rubber ring 31, ball 23, nut 24, and cushioned cap 29 are put together substantially in the manner IOS IIO

above described and as will be obvious from an inspection of the drawings.

It will be seen that by compressing the inner spring in the assemblage of the parts said spring thereafter acts in the direct-ion of the length of the outer spring and against the contractile power thereof, so that the force required to stretch or distend the outer spring is less than would be needed were the inner spring not under compression and so acting. lIence it will be understood that with a comparatively light load, aided by the force of the inner spring, the outer spring may be distended.

As the outer spring distends under the load the inner spring likewise distends and gradually loses its extensile force upon the outer spring. If the inner spring be compressed three-fourths of an inch, upon expanding a like distance its power to act against the outer spring ceases.

Then the outer spring has been extended to a point where the inner spring has iinished its expansive movement due to the original compression of its coils, any further extension of the outer spring due to an increase in the load will be communicated to the inner spring, (the two being connected together,) and the latter will be also stretched 0r distended, thus adding its resistance to that of the outer spring, and thereby increasing the total resistance to the load. Y

It will be seen that by combining a compression and an extension spring in the manner shown and described the outer and heavier spring is weakened through a certain extension distance, while beyond that the two springs act together to resist extension with a heavier load. It will also be seen that by rigidly attaching both springs to the headpieces they cannot rattle, and that when properly proportioned in strength adjacent coils will not chatter together with a light load, since they are normally held a slight distance apart. The socket being made in one piece there is no tendency to separation, as in a socket made in two pieces. rlhe metals and surfaces are such as to give the least friction and greatest service for wear, while meansl are provided for oiling the bearings. Owing to the employment of the caps, washers, and

rubber rings the bearings are made dustproof. Should the ball-and-socket bearings become worn, a spherical washer, somewhat like 13, but vanishing at the edges, may be inserted between the ball and the socket, so as to make the bearings practically as good as new.

Vhile I have shown and described my iinprovements with reference to springs for carriages, I of course do not wish to be limited to the use of the same in connection therewith. In other situations the improved spring might not need the ball and socket and their dependent parts.

Various changes in details of construction, arrangement, proportions, and sizes may be made without departing from the gist of my invention, and as some of the features thereof may be employed without others I do not wish to be considered as limiting myself to the use of all of them in the same structure.

What I claimas new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of two coiled springs, one within the other, the inner spring being normally in a state of compression and acting upon the outer one to weaken or reduce the power thereof.

2. The combination of two coiled springs, one vwithin the other, the inner one being normally in a state of compression and acting upon the outer one to a certain point to weaken or reduce its power and beyond that point acting together with the outer spring to resist further extension.

3. The combination of the outer and heavier coiled spring, the inner coiled spring having normally an expansive action against the outer spring, and screws for connecting the ends of said springs together.

4. The combination of the outer and heavier coiled spring, the inner coiled spring having lnormally an expansive action against the outer spring, the screws 3 and 5, and the screws 17 and 20, the latter screws being independentlymovable to facilitate assemblage and the compression of the inner spring.

5. The combination with two concentric coiled springs, of two screws for connecting the associated ends of said springs, a threaded shank connected to said screws, a socket made of a single piece, and a ball or spherical bearing arranged upon said threaded shank and within said socket.

6. The combination of the two concentric coiled springs, the inner one being the weaker and acting normally to expand the outer, the screws for connecting the ends of said springs, the threaded shanks having balls screwed thereupon, the one-piece sockets, the attaching means thereon, and the closures for the sockets. l

7. The combination with two concentric coiled springs, of two screws connecting the associated ends of said springs, and provided with a threaded shank, a socket made of a single piece and through which said shank passes, a ball screwed upon said shank within said socket, a concaved dust-excludin g washer for said socket, a rubber ring for pressing TOO IIO

upon said washer, and a dust-cap for said socket.

8. .The combination with two concentric coiled springs, and at one end thereof, of the screw 3, head-piece 4, the screw 5, the threaded shank G, the ball 7, the socket 8, having the opening 9 therein, the dust-cap 12, the washer 13, and the rubber ring 14.

9. The combination with two concentric coiled springs, and at one end thereof, of the screw 17, the head-piece 18, the seat 19, the collar 25, the screw 20, the shank 21 threaded as at 22, the ball 23, the nut 24, the socket 26 having an opening 27, the washer 30, the rub- New York and State of New York, this 23d ber ring 3l, the dust-cap 29, and the rubber day of June, A. D. 18%.

cushion 32. T T T T r 10. In Combination with the open base of REXAOLD 'TALBEX 5 the socket of aball-and-socket j oint, the con- XVtnesses:

caved spring-pressed washer. I. C. MACDONALD,

Signed at New York City, in the county of JACOB FELBEL. 

